Pittsburgh Man Charged with Receiving Material Depicting the Sexual Exploitation of Minors

PITTSBURGH, PA - One resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of Receipt of Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minorsplain language statement of offense described in indictment or generic description such as violating various federal laws or violating various federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.

The one-count Indictment named Sean Paul Conley-Refer, currently incarcerated at Allegheny County Jail, as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment presented to the court, on or about October 8, 2021, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, the defendant did knowingly receive a visual depiction of a minor using any means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce, namely, the Internet and a cellular telephone, the production of which visual depiction involved the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and that depicted a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

The law provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense(s) and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.  Indicate relevant bond/detention information if known

Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin J. Risacher is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.  This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.